The Baha’i New Year festival, Naw-Ruz, which means “New Day”, was also celebrated by the Mangaung Bahá’ís on Wednesday 21 March 2018.
This spiritual assembly takes place each year on the first day of spring, the Spring Equinox. The freshness and renewal in nature is also symbolic of the periodic renewal of the religion of God, the coming of the spiritual spring.
According to a media release the celebration in Mangaung was a multi-cultural event where human diversity was embraced.
The Bahá’í New-Year coincides with Human Rights Day in South Africa. The concept of human rights is closely related to the principle of oneness of humanity. It is basic teaching of the Bahá’í faith.
In this regard Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í faith, writes: “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established,” and “So powerful is the light of unity, that it can illuminate the whole earth.”
On this day, Bahá’u’lláh said, humanity has co-operatively come of age. “As foretold in all of the world’s scriptures, the time has arrived for the uniting of all peoples into a peaceful and integrated global society.”
ZILKE PRINSLOO
zilke@mahareng.co.za
